Chapter 28: Underground Boxing

"This is a great opportunity! Remember how that guy from Guangxi cheated us out of our money last time? Do you want to win it back?"

"You have a plan?"

"Of course I do! If you want to get it back, we'll go together tonight."

...

Tie Xiong drove Cao Yang to the entrance of the Nightingale Club. Jim asked him to come up to talk, but he didn't dare.

He and Jim were constant rivals, and their relationship was certainly not friendly. He had just led a group to surround Jim's club, and today their underlings had clashed again. He only brought five or six men with him tonight; he was afraid that if he went up there, Jim might kill him.

However, they were capable of cooperating when they had a common enemy, and that man from the Guangxi gang was exactly that.

Since he wouldn't go up, Jim had to come down.

Tie Xiong greeted Cao Yang and stood in the parking lot to talk with Jim. Cao Yang was too far away to hear what they were saying, but it certainly concerned him, as Tie Xiong kept pointing at him, and Jim kept turning to look his way.

"You know this kid's strength. If we let him fight that Guangxi guy, he’ll likely win."

Jim shook his head: "That Guangxi guy is formidable. Word is his ancestors were masters of the Southern Shaolin Buddhist boxing style, and he inherited the true essence of it. He can take on a dozen people at once. This kid only fought four last time."

"I don't think he used his full strength last time. When my brothers were about to rush him, he stared at me, and it actually made me feel afraid. I’ve been through the ringer for years; not many people can make me feel that kind of fear. This kid is definitely hiding his true abilities."

Jim fell silent, deep in thought.

"What if he loses? I don't want to keep pouring money into that Guangxi guy's pockets!"

"What are you worried about? If he loses, I'll skin him alive! But if he wins, we make a profit, and we can keep using him as our moneymaker in the long run."

Jim sneered: "You just said he was powerful, and now you’re talking about skinning him?"

"Pfft! How tough can he be compared to a gun? If he dares to lose, I'll just put a bullet in him!"

"Fine! I'll trust you this once!"

Jim took his men and left in two cars. Tie Xiong returned to his vehicle and told his men to follow.

"Did you talk to him?" Cao Yang asked, still most concerned about the slot machines in his small shop.

Tie Xiong laughed: "Don't worry. As long as you win tonight, he will never bother you again!"

After driving for half an hour, the four cars arrived at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city.

The factory was quite large but had long since ceased operations. Strangely, a number of luxury cars were parked inside, and there were quite a few security guards at the entrance.

The guards verified Jim and Tie Xiong's identities before letting them through, as if they were regulars.

The two groups got out of their cars and headed straight for the second floor.

The entire second and third floors had been opened up, creating a space of over five thousand square meters.

Pushing open the heavy doors, they were met with a roar of voices. Grandstands lined the perimeter, packed with men and women drinking, smoking, and eating.

In the very center stood an octagonal cage where two men, shirtless and wearing only shorts, were locked in brutal combat.

"You brought me here for underground boxing?" Cao Yang had seen such scenes on television.

"What, scared?" Tie Xiong looked at him with a grin.

Cao Yang shook his head. He wasn't scared; he just didn't like it. Before he left home, his mother had told him to use his head and earn money through his brain or honest labor, not through violence.

Cao Yang knew he wasn't particularly smart, but his mother said that if you use your brain, it grows, so he was trying to earn money with his wits and was averse to violence.

"Hahaha... Brother Jim, Brother Tie Xiong."

A man who was not very tall, with dark skin and a thick Guangxi accent, walked over with a boisterous laugh. He sat down next to Jim and Tie Xiong, his expression overly enthusiastic.

"It's been a long time since you two brothers visited, and my income has plummeted lately!"

Despite his warm expression, his words were dripping with sarcasm, causing both Jim and Tie Xiong’s faces to darken.

"Screw you, Xida! I'm here to bleed you dry this time, so get ready for a massive loss!"

The Guangxi man, Xida, laughed loudly: "Tie Xiong, you say that every time, yet every time you end up bleeding yourself!"

Tie Xiong was visibly fuming, while Jim silently puffed on his cigarette.

Just then, a waitress with long legs and a micro-skirt walked over carrying a platter of fruit and drinks. She politely placed the tray on the table.

"Sir, that will be one thousand nine hundred and eighty dollars," the waitress said, handing over the bill.

In places like this, you paid as soon as you sat down; they wouldn't wait until you were finished.

Cao Yang clicked his tongue. A fruit platter and two cases of beer cost two thousand dollars? In an era where the average monthly wage was only a few hundred, that was damn expensive!

"Screw you! Are you new here?!" Xida slapped the waitress on the rear and laughed, "These two are our VIPs. Why are you charging them for drinks and fruit? Go tell the manager to put it on my tab."

The waitress rubbed her bottom and scurried away, looking shy.

"Sorry about that, the new girl doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart, brothers."

Tie Xiong ignored him, Jim ignored him, and Cao Yang ignored him even more.

All three pairs of eyes were fixed on the octagon in the center. The fight was nearing its end; a tall, muscular man had been knocked to the ground by a small guy only 1.6 meters tall, and he lay there unconscious.

"Liang Feng! Liang Feng!" The crowd erupted into deafening cheers, interspersed with curses.

Tie Xiong pointed at the small man in the cage and said to Cao Yang: "That guy is Liang Feng, the top fighter of the Guangxi gang. Don't let his size fool you; his skills are lethal. Can you beat him?"

"I don't know," Cao Yang replied, shaking his head.

Tie Xiong said: "I've already signed you up. He’s your opponent in a moment. You absolutely cannot lose!"

"Oh," Cao Yang replied with a faint nod.

Tie Xiong was irritated by his nonchalance, but he needed him, so he suppressed his anger.

Jim looked at Cao Yang: "Little brother, are you sure about this? If not, tell us now."

"And if I say I'm not? Are we going home? Will you stop bothering me about my slot machines?"

Tie Xiong sneered: "If you say no, Jim will have your place raided tonight!"

Cao Yang’s gaze turned cold as he stared at Jim.

Jim waved his hand with a smile: "Don't listen to his nonsense. If you lose, you lose, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Only after Jim said this did Cao Yang look away. However, he knew in his heart that these two were just using him to make money. If he lost and caused them to lose their bet, they would definitely not let him off the hook.

He looked at Liang Feng in the cage and sighed. He would help them this once, but there would not be a next time.

A staff member approached their table and smiled. Jim and Tie Xiong nodded at Cao Yang, signaling for him to follow the staff member to change his clothes.

He swapped into a pair of shorts and that was it—no gear, not even basic boxing gloves.

The staff member told him that the only rule here was that there were no rules. Any dirty trick was allowed. The fight would continue until one side conceded, was incapacitated, or died.

Cao Yang nodded. He had no professional training, so the lack of rules actually suited him better.

"Go ahead, kid. When you see the light turn on, that's the signal to start."